Cross-Country Jeep Trip!

Good morning, folks!

We have just returned from our cross-country road trip, in our 1999 Jeep Cherokee. I thought tonight would be the perfect time to share some pictures and stories from our adventures.

Here is a picture of our Jeep:

We have owned this Jeep for 7 years, and we initially paid $1300 for it. It’s been “Old Reliable” over the years, so we decided it was time to take the Jeep on a road trip to Michigan, to visit family and friends.

Why Michigan? Well, we owned a house there 9 years ago…

We lived in Harrison, at the beginning of the “snow belt.” We bought a sailboat, an Islander I29 named Moonraker, when Iliana wasn’t 2 years old. We launched it for the first time in 2010, when Ili was 3. We tried cruising it the next year, but a navigational error led to us running aground and ending our season early. In 2013, we were finally successful, when we cruised from Bay City, on Lake Huron, to Grand Haven, on Lake Michigan, over the course of 93 days.

This changed us. We obsessed over our plans to sail the Great Loop (we weren’t that far from the Mississippi when we ended), but life had other plans. When things weren’t going well at work (I already hadn’t loved my job in a few years), we knew it was time for things to change.

We considered finding work in a port town on Lake Michigan and living aboard seasonally, but soon it became clear that the obvious answer would be to move to a warmer climate, where we could live aboard and sail year round. We had long fantasized about moving to California. In fact, in 2008, we had said that we would move to California in 5 years (although I hadn’t really meant it at the time). Again, life had other plans.

My brother in law and his wife had been living in Texas for 5 years, and they helped me to get a preliminary phone interview with the school district they worked for. After that, I had my foot in the door. Having never set foot in the state, I accepted a job offer after a Skype interview.

On August 1, 2013, we arrived in Texas.

That first year, we visited Michigan twice, but the visits (which were costly and time consuming) became less and less. The last time we visited was in 2018. I was unemployed and quite a bit heavier.

So my ego had a bit of a reason to be excited about this trip as well! On Friday, June 24, after Rob got out of work, we loaded up the Jeep and drove toward the Arkansas border, until we were sick of driving.

Day 0: From Kemah, Texas to Carthage, TX

Miles Traveled: 220

Happily, my Texas crab sticker arrived before we left that day. We were prepared!

This was our first time bringing Jasmine, our dog, on a road trip.

Our goal that night was to drive until we got sick of driving. I was hoping to make Texarkana, but we ended up stopping in Carthage. We decided to stay in a hotel due to the crazy heatwave that was going on in Texas. Thanks to Google Maps and the search feature, I found a reasonably priced hotel with a HUGE king room! (We have to problem sharing a bed, and we slept in close quarters for most of the trip).

Day 1: From Carthage, Texas to Terre Haute, Indiana

Miles traveled: 756

Total miles traveled: 974

The drive from Houston to Michigan is a 3 day trip, although we have really pushed in the past and done it in two. We knew that if we could make Terre Haute at the end of the day on June 25, we would be good to go. With the limited time we had, we were eager to see everyone!

So we left our hotel room at 7 am, Central Daylight Time, and arrived at the Terre Haute Campground by 7 pm, Eastern Daylight Time.

It was a long, long drive.

Jasmine took plenty of walks…

We crossed the Mississippi…

The campground we stayed at had previously been a KOA, but now it was independently owned. The office closed at 6, so we were unable to get firewood. I did not have success buying it from other campers, and I momentarily mourned the loss of Southern hospitality…

But our neighbors saw Ili and me looking for scrap wood and gave us plenty of wood, along with roasting forks! We enjoyed talking to them, and it was a fun night. They loved hearing the stories of our adventures, and I thought their accents were cute. (I suppose if I noticed Midwestern accents, that must mean I no longer have one…Boo!)

The campground was very lively…A bit too much so for weary travelers, as the partying continued until 2 am. It was also quite hot, and our site only had a hook-up for a trailer, not standard outlets. So we were unable to use our fan. I found an outlet in the restroom for my coffee maker!

But I had forgotten about the summer storms in the Midwest. It rained at 2 am, which ended the parties and cooled the air. We were then able to sleep until 7 am, which seemed like a luxury.

Day 2: Terre Haute, Indiana to Three Rivers, Michigan; Alma, Michigan; and Midland, Michigan

Miles Traveled: 470

Total Miles Traveled: 1,444

Illinois comes after the Mississippi, and Michigan is entered through Indiana. How much time we spend driving in each state, however, depends on the traffic and the overnight destination. When we stay in Effingham, Illinois, for example, we spend a day driving through the (painfully boring) Grand Prairie of Illinois. Indiana has never been much better, and during this trip it was looking to be a freeway run through farmland and road construction.

Until we made a wrong turn.

Our GPS then routed us through an adorable succession of small towns and cute houses. It was definitely a treat!

We crossed the state line without any fanfare and soon found ourselves in beautiful country, winding through forests and farmland in southwestern Michigan. A friend of mine from high school had moved to that area and invited us to lunch. So we began our day by visiting Loren and Katie in Three Rivers.

We had a great time catching up, before heading to Alma, to visit my grandma. The weather was beautiful, and we had a nice stop at a rest area in Lansing.

Alma was our next destination. My grandma, who is 93 years old, lives in the Michigan Masonic Home in that town. She has Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, which were mild for a long time before suddenly getting worse. She has stopped eating and spends most of her days sleeping in her recliner chair. We decided it would be best if I visited her alone, since seeing her like this may upset Iliana. I brought pictures and did not know if I would see her awake, or if she would recognize me if I did.

Rob and Grandma in 2018. I look a lot like she did when she was younger.

We had a wonderful visit. She recognized me, and she recognized Rob and Iliana in the pictures I brought. The conversation was light and repetitive, but there was a lot of connection that transcended words and memories. When I left, I said, “I’ll see you later.”

Michigan Masonic Home

After Alma, we headed up toward Midland, where Rob’s dad and stepmother live. However, there was a detour we needed to take.

When we first got married, Rob and I paid $1000 for a mobile home on a used car lot. We then had that mobile home moved to Pleasant Beach Resort on Wixom Lake in Albright Shores, Michigan.

In spring of 2020, during the pandemic shutdown, the earth dam that creates Wixom Lake, as well as the dam that creates the next lake downstream, failed. Wixom Lake is now currently a river. So we took a detour and drove past it.

Our trailer was no longer in the park, and nobody remembered us. We were, however, able to get pizza from Sandy’s Market, which had been a regular occurrence when we lived there. Sandy has long since retired and sold the store, but it still bears her name.

We later learned that the dams will likely be rebuilt, starting next year, which made things less depressing.

Albright Shores was 15 minutes away from Dad and Linda’s house in Midland, and we would be staying there the next two nights.

Rob’s dad injured his knee when he slipped while skipping stones on Lake Charlevoix, so he was a bit laid up. However, it was wonderful to be able to see him again!

We stayed in their motor home, while I kept referring to as “The Boat.”

Day 3: Midland, Michigan

Miles Traveled: 0

One can not pack light while traveling to Michigan in June. Our suitcase was filled with jeans, sweaters, short, and tank tops. And we wore all of them while in Michigan.

We awoke Monday morning to temperatures in the 50’s.

That afternoon, my brother-in-law and his wife joined us, with my 4-year-old nephew, William.

William is a fun, energetic young man, who absolutely loves outer space. To surprise him, Iliana and I bought him some goodies at a gift shop back at home. Living near the space center made being a cool aunt very easy!

I had fun catching up with the other Mrs. Rosselit (who, interestingly enough, is also a teacher)!

Rob’s aunt and uncle were able to join us for dinner, so we did a lot of catching up!

In the northern latitudes, it gets dark much later in the summer. I was surprised that I was able to take this picture at 9:00 pm!

Day 4: Midland, Michigan to Grand Haven, Michigan

Miles Traveled: 152

Total Miles Traveled: 1, 595

On Tuesday, Rob woke up with a stomach ache, which we later suspected was from something he ate that didn’t agree with him. I was afraid that the rest of our plans would be cancelled, so I was distracted when Iliana and I met my brother and my aunt for lunch (and I forgot to take pictures).

When I returned, however, Rob was still not feeling 100% but was ready to continue onward! We headed southwest, through Mt. Pleasant, the town where Iliana was born.

We had a pleasant drive to the Lakeshore in Grand Haven, where we had ended our 93-day cruise in 2012.

When we arrived, the beach and the walk to the lighthouse were closed, due to the rough water. Lake Michigan will always have a special place in my heart, and it was every bit as beautiful and as terrifying as I remember it to be. And the smell of the air is like no other place I’ve been.

My friend, Jamie, who had been friends with Rob in high school, and connected with me through blogging after our sailing trip, joined us for dinner.

We were treated to a beautiful evening.

In 2012, we spent two weeks moored at the seawall in Grand Haven. The seawall was free at the time, and we really enjoyed the town. We were right across from the musical fountain, which did a performance every evening.

So, of course, on this trip, Iliana and I made our way down the river, to the fountain. We found some gigantic snow cones on the way.

The fountain show was lovely, and I even caught Ili singing and dancing a little. Afterward, she remembered watching the fountain in 2012, and recalled a few more adventures from that trip. (She had previously not remembered anything from the trip).

The show was paused at one point for a freighter could leave the river. The captain blew a master salute as they passed by.

We saw a few sights on our walk back to the campsite, but the water was still too rough to walk to the lighthouse.

Day 5: Grand Haven, Michigan to Buchanan, Michigan

Miles Traveled: 100

Total Miles Traveled: 1,694

We put Kreg the off-brand Keurig to work first thing Wednesday morning!

It was a beautiful morning, and the Lake was its famous bright blue color.

I had Rob do a mini photo shoot on the beach, before we left to visit Chris, Kelly, and William in Buchanan.

And yes, I kept a Ziploc bag of sand from the beach…

In Buchanan, Chris and Kelly had a belated birthday dinner for Iliana, complete with a very nice calligraphy set.

William was excited to show us his plush Betelgeuse that Kelly made for him!

Chris and Kelly live in a small town in a wooded area, and their yard is gorgeous.

Mulberries are in season in Michigan, which made me very happy!

Kelly was tasked with assembling William’s solar system model that we brought for him.

And Iliana took some time to relax!

We approved of the word art in their basement…

And of course Rob and Chris had to get a picture together! They call themselves the “Bro-sselits.”

Day 6: Buchanan, Michigan to Portage Michigan and Jasonville, Indiana

Miles Traveled: 363

Total Miles Traveled: 2,058

Our morning began with a visit to Rob’s aunt, uncle, and cousin in Portage (near Kalamazoo). Iliana enjoyed playing with Rob’s cousin’s kids back when we lived in Michigan, so it was a fun reunion! And Aunt Sue’s breakfast casserole put us in good stead for what would end up being a long day on the road.

A large portion of our drive would be spent in a parking lot in Three Rivers. Chris had a moped that he no longer uses, so Rob decided to take it home. Chris also had a trailer for this moped, although the trailer was a little worse for wear. We decided to stop in Three Rivers to change the tires on the trailer, but this ended up being easier said than done. We found tires easily enough, but finding grease for the bearings was another story.

Luckily, there was a Goodwill in the plaza! Goodwills in Michigan have much lower prices than the Goodwills in Houston. I found some accessories, as well as a fun dress and some Coach shoes. The fake pearls and earrings went well with my sundress!

After our loud night at the campground in Terre Haute, we decided to stay in a state park. We found Shakamak State Park in Jasonville, Indiana, which is very close to Terre Haute. We could only get a primitive site, but it was inexpensive and the weather was perfect. We knew electricity would be a must the next night, when we would be in Little Rock. It was a beuatiful, back-to-nature camping experience, and there were more fireflies than I have ever seen at night! This was also the only night on the trip when we were able to see the stars without any light pollution.

Day 7: Jasonville, Indiana to Bigelow, Arkansas

Miles Traveled: 534

Total Miles Traveled: 2,592

We weren’t in a big hurry to leave Shakamak on Friday, but we knew that we had a long drive ahead of us. Luckily, there were lots of state parks to choose from in Arkansas, and, of course, we had to choose the one called Toad Suck Park.

So we packed up and prepared for another day of driving! I worse my dress from the Goodwill in Three Rivers.

Most of our morning was spent driving through Illinois. I know I complain about Illinois a lot, but we did find a very pretty rest stop on Rend Lake, which was a welcome break from the Grand Prairie. Actually, it was the prettiest rest stop on our trip.

And yes, Iliana and I are close enough in weight, that we were able to teeter-totter!

Jasmine was enjoying the ride.

On thing that Illinois does not have, are gas stations. We had a close call when we were 30 miles from the state line, and our GPS ended up leading us to a very small town with a station that had antique pumps. Luckily, they also had ice cream.

30 minutes later, we saw a familiar bridge…

And soon we were back on our side of the Mississippi!

Toad Suck Park is located in the greater Little Rock area, on the Arkansas River. It wasn’t for backwoods camping experience that we had at Shakamak, but it was a very nice campground, located right next to the dam.

And I knew right away that we were back in the South, when the couple who were staffing the office gave me a hug after we signed in!

Day 8: Bigelow, Arkansas to Kemah, Texas

Miles Traveled: 488 Miles

Total Miles Traveled: 3, 082

Kreg was busy as we prepared for the home stretch!

I wore a shirt that I borrowed from a friend, just for the occasion.

And, of course, we needed to take pictures by the sign!

Our ride home was uneventful, except that I was able to do a Google search for “taco” and found many nearby options!

This establishment had the added bonus of decorative armadillos…

So what is next for us? Last night, Iliana took a Covid test for camp and was negative. So today, in a few minutes, we will be leaving to take her to Camp Blessing, where she will be volunteering for a week. Rob and I are celebrating our 21st anniversary on the 7th, and we are planning a simple getaway to Montrose.

And, of course, I will be wearing lipstick for the Fourth of July!

Weight Watchers on the Go!

We spent the past week visiting family and tying up loose ends in Michigan.

It was a week of changes and travel.  We flew to a hotel in Detroit, rented a car and drove to our hometown of Midland, spent 3 days staying in a travel trailer at my father-in-law’s house, visited with my grandmas for one day, drove 3 hours to Grand Haven where we cleaned out our old sailboat, spent a rainy night tent camping on the beach, drove 3 more hours to Buchanan to visit my brother-in-law and meet my new nephew, spent one night at their house, then drove for 3 days with our friends who moved to Texas, camping along the way.

Whew!

At my Weight Watchers meetings, we have talked a lot about vacations.  The consensus is that these are times to maintain, or even just try to minimize the weight gain.  It is perfectly okay not to track while on vacation.

This is all well and good, except that I had fallen off the wagon big time in the two weeks before we left.  I gained weight at two meetings in a row.  I was feeling anxious and lethargic, and I really needed to get back on track.  When I eat better, I feel better.

So I tracked everything I ate on this trip, enjoyed some yummy treats, and planned ahead for each scenario we encountered.  While this might not sound like fun, it actually helped me to feel better physically and mentally.  I kept a level head throughout the trip and had a much higher energy level than I have in the past.

I do not weigh in until Wednesday, so we don’t know the official end result.  But looking at my own scale, I lost somewhere between 2-4 pounds.

How did I have an amazing time, eat yummy food, and still lose weight?  Let me tell you about each scenario and how I handled it!

Friday: Flying Out

Rob and I discussed our meal plans for the airport, ahead of time.  We knew we would be eating there, since we like to give ourselves plenty of time to get through security.  I looked on the airport’s website and saw that there is a Chick-Fil-A there.  I had planned on ordering grilled nuggets, which are 1 point, but they did not offer them.  After quickly consulting my app, I ordered a grilled chicken market salad with no dressing.  This was 5 points, and it tasted amazing, even without the dressing.

For the flight, I packed my favorite 0 point snack–boiled eggs!

A quick tidbit of wisdom: If you are flying with a bag of boiled eggs, take them out of your bag when you go through security.  While they are not considered liquids, the scanner identifies them as such, which can lead to having your bag searched.  Of course the TSA agents found this highly amusing, as they had never encountered someone flying with a bag of eggs before!

Saturday: At the Hotel and On the Road!

We spent our first night at a hotel in Detroit, where we were treated to a continental breakfast.  I enjoyed 1/4 of the gigantic waffles made by the machine, for 2 points.  I also grabbed some 0 point fruit.

We then drove our rental car 3 hours to Midland, and we stopped at a grocery store on the way.  I bought provisions for my favorite on-the-road lunch: sandwiches.  We bought low-calorie bread (1 point per slice), light mayo (1 point per tablespoon), 98% fat free turkey lunch meat (0 points for 3 slices, 1 point for a full serving), and water.  I also grabbed some fruit, fat-free cheese, Greek yogurt, and ranch mix to use once we reached our destination.

Saturday Night and Sunday: Visiting and Cooking Collaboratively

We arrived at my father-in-law’s house in time for dinner, which was sloppy joes.  My stepmother-in-law and I always prepare meals together when I visit, so using the substitutions I brought was not a problem.  (I do have a rule that I will eat anything that is homemade when visiting, because cooking is an act of love). I used my low-calorie bread and kept my sandwich open-faced.  Ground beef is 4 points, sloppy joe sauce is 1 point, and the bread was one point.  I had been conservative in my point values, so I also had enough points to enjoy some 4 point potato salad!

My stepmother-in-law keeps a fruit bowl in her kitchen, and she said we were welcome to munch on it during our stay.  Whenever I was hungry, I nibbled on grapes.  We planned breakfast together and ended up having French toast (made with my low-calorie bread, so it was 1 point per slice) with homemade strawberry syrup (I made mine without sugar, so it was 0 points), and sausage (3 points).  The next morning, we had scrambled eggs (I used fat free cheese in mine, so they were 0 points) and sausage.

Fun in our hometown!

Lunch was, of course, sandwiches, and we went out for pizza on Sunday.  This may seem like an impossible situation, but I had one slice of pizza, which I ate mindfully and thoroughly enjoyed.  Then I finished my meal with a salad with no dressing.

Yes, my high school mascot was the Chemic!

Monday: Conquering the Chinese Buffet!

I treated myself to an early-morning yoga class on Monday.  This got me some exercise, which I had been lacking, and helped me to stay positive and energized!

After having eggs for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, we headed off to visit my grandmas.  We spent a lovely time with my grandma Eileen at her house, then went to do some work at my grandma Misty’s house. (Her real name is Elaine, but I called her grandma Misty as a child, because I got my two grandma’s names mixed up.  Fun fact: “Elaine” and “Eileen” are both variants of “Iliana”!)

When we moved to Texas, we left some items behind, and they eventually ended up my grandma’s garage.  Our mission on this trip was to remove these items and drive them back to Texas in my father-in-law’s truck, which we were borrowing.

But before we set to work, we needed to eat.  And we have a long-standing tradition of eating at Chinese buffets with my grandma and my Aunt Anne.

Yikes, right?  Nope.  Yum!

I began with hot and sour soup, for 3 points.  Then I loaded up on 0 point shrimp and vegetables.  I decided to have small servings and sesame chicken and General Tso’s chicken for 3-ish points, then used the rest of my points on Szechuan chicken (7-ish points) and half of an egg roll (3 points).  I left feeling full and satisfied, without going over on my daily points!

Tuesday: Rainy, Yucky, and Stressful!

Then Tuesday happened.  After a healthy breakfast of eggs and sausage, we drove to Grand Haven to work on Moonraker, our old boat.  In the summer of 2012, we had sailed Moonraker from Bay City, on Lake Huron, to Grand Haven, on Lake Michigan.  We had dry docked the boat with the mast down, planning on beginning the Great Loop the next summer.  However, we moved to Texas instead, and the boat has been dry docked ever since.

We were determined to make this our last “working” trip to Michigan, so that meant that we had one day to empty and clean the boat, so that we could make arrangements for the marina to broker it.

The good news:  The boat was in remarkably good shape.

The bad news:  It was yucky and rainy all day.

I had hoped to make it to a yin yoga class in Grand Haven that evening, but the traffic we encountered on our trip to the store made that impossible.  We finished at 6:30 on the dot.  I had thought that the office closed at 6:30, but they actually closed at 6.  So we weren’t able to sign over the title.  We will do that by mail.

That evening we headed to our wet campsite on the beach.  I had made reservations when the forecast looked good, or otherwise, we would have stayed at a hotel.  We had found a tent in my grandma’s garage, which she said we could have.  The stakes did not take hold in the sand, so it drooped.

That evening I was hangry!  Grand Haven was supposed to be the high point of our trip, and it was nothing but yuck.  We were not really able to enjoy one of our favorite port towns, from our sailing trip.

I didn’t make sandwiches for dinner.  I went to Subway.

Did I order a salad?  A low-fat sub?

Nope.

I got myself a pizza.  With extra cheese.  And not fat free cheese either.  Rob and I split a large bottle of wine.

And I tracked none of it.

Iliana, however, had a great time.  She played with the other kids in the campground and loved the sand.  We saw a lovely sunset over the water and watched the musical fountain, which had been a mainstay of our week on the seawall in Moonraker.

Wednesday:  Visiting my Foodie Brother-in-Law

Wednesday is supposed to be my weigh-in day, and I had found a meeting near my brother-in-law’s house in Buchanan.  If we broke camp at 6 am, I could make it.

We broke camp at 8:30.

So I had no idea how much damage I had done, but my weekly points had reset.  I carefully chose a breakfast sandwich from Subway, tracked the points, and enjoyed the drive to Buchanan.

After finally meeting my 7 month old nephew, Will, we discussed our plans for the day.  We decided to make our own wraps before heading to a winery.  We were treated to a tasting, before settling on the most wonderful, caramelly tasting Pinot Grigio I have ever experienced.

Then we returned home for dinner and my brother-in-law made us very large, very delicious steaks, with mashed potatoes.  I finished a portion much larger than a deck of cards and enjoyed every bite.

Breakfast was the most wonderful biscuits and gravy that I have ever eaten, along with hash brown potatoes.  And orange juice.

By the time we left that morning, I had 0 weekly points remaining.  Yes, I ate them all in one day!  (And if the truth be told, I actually went into the negative by 18!)  I have no regrets.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: Road Trip!

After eating that breakfast, we hit the road, so we could meet up with our friends who were moving to Texas.  I bought fruit and boiled eggs for snacks (both are 0 points), and we ate sandwiches for lunch.

We camped in the evening and grilled turkey hot dogs (2 points) over the fire.  Breakfast was fruit over Greek yogurt, and I added a salad with my lunch that day.

Lots of water, lots of salad and sandwiches, and lots of fruit and boiled eggs.  Every morning, we stopped at the grocery store before we left.

The trip was not without adventure! Luckily, the tire was quickly patched!

Friday night, we stayed at a campground with a fitness center.  I stepped on the scale in the evening, when I was full of water weight, and saw that I had lost 2 pounds!  I am excited to see how I do at my weigh-in on Wednesday!